Middle East

Obama renews Syria sanctions

US president calls country an "extraordinary threat" to US security and foreign policy.

04 May 2010 09:13 GMT

There was little expectation Obama would lift the sanctions, first imposed by Bush in 2004 [AFP]

But he said that Syria's "continuing support for terrorist organisations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programmes, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States".

There was little expectation Obama would lift the sanctions, which he also renewed last year.

In his statement, Obama demanded that Syria demonstrate "progress" before the sanctions could be lifted.

The sanctions - first imposed in 2004 by George Bush, the then president - restrict most US exports to Syria.

Internet curbs remain

US sanctions also prevent Syrians from accessing a number of websites hosted in the US.